PM Modi to visit Saudi Arabia on April 22-23; strategic partnership, defence cooperation on agenda
This high-level engagement comes at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and marks a crucial step in deepening a strategic partnership that has gained momentum in recent years.


- Apr 19, 2025,
- Updated Apr 19, 2025 6:28 PM IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Saudi Arabia on April 22 for a two-day visit that aims to bolster ties on multiple fronts from energy and defence to trade and investment. This high-level engagement comes at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and marks a crucial step in deepening a strategic partnership that has gained momentum in recent years.
The visit, described as a key opportunity to advance bilateral cooperation, will include talks between Modi and the Crown Prince, followed by the signing of several agreements.
“The PM will be paying a visit to Saudi Arabia next week on 22nd-23rd of April 2025,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said during a media briefing. “This visit follows the visit by his Royal Highness to India in September 2023, on the occasion of the G-20 Summit. That was also the occasion of the first-ever meeting of the newly-established strategic partnership council between the two countries.”
Misri emphasised that the discussions will aim to “infuse a strategic dimension” into the growing energy cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia. The partnership spans a broad spectrum, including defence, security, investment, health, education, technology, and culture.
India’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has transformed significantly over the past decade, with expanded cooperation and regular high-level exchanges. “India's relations with the Kingdom have evolved into a stronger and enduring partnership in the past decade,” the Ministry of External Affairs noted, highlighting increasing investment commitments and broader defence collaboration.
Diplomatic ties date back to 1947, and the relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2010. Since early 2024, there have been 11 ministerial-level visits from India to Saudi Arabia. Notably, Saudi Foreign Minister and the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources visited India in November 2024 and February 2025, respectively.
India also maintains close ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council, headquartered in Riyadh. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar co-chaired the first India-GCC Ministerial Meeting in September 2024, further strengthening regional diplomacy.
Saudi Arabia is India’s fifth largest trading partner, while India ranks as the Kingdom’s second largest. In FY 2023-24, bilateral trade hit $42.98 billion, with Indian exports at $11.56 billion and imports at $31.42 billion. The Kingdom was also India’s third largest supplier of crude oil and LPG, providing 33.35 million metric tonnes of crude and 18.2% of India’s LPG imports during the year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Saudi Arabia on April 22 for a two-day visit that aims to bolster ties on multiple fronts from energy and defence to trade and investment. This high-level engagement comes at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and marks a crucial step in deepening a strategic partnership that has gained momentum in recent years.
The visit, described as a key opportunity to advance bilateral cooperation, will include talks between Modi and the Crown Prince, followed by the signing of several agreements.
“The PM will be paying a visit to Saudi Arabia next week on 22nd-23rd of April 2025,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said during a media briefing. “This visit follows the visit by his Royal Highness to India in September 2023, on the occasion of the G-20 Summit. That was also the occasion of the first-ever meeting of the newly-established strategic partnership council between the two countries.”
Misri emphasised that the discussions will aim to “infuse a strategic dimension” into the growing energy cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia. The partnership spans a broad spectrum, including defence, security, investment, health, education, technology, and culture.
India’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has transformed significantly over the past decade, with expanded cooperation and regular high-level exchanges. “India's relations with the Kingdom have evolved into a stronger and enduring partnership in the past decade,” the Ministry of External Affairs noted, highlighting increasing investment commitments and broader defence collaboration.
Diplomatic ties date back to 1947, and the relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2010. Since early 2024, there have been 11 ministerial-level visits from India to Saudi Arabia. Notably, Saudi Foreign Minister and the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources visited India in November 2024 and February 2025, respectively.
India also maintains close ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council, headquartered in Riyadh. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar co-chaired the first India-GCC Ministerial Meeting in September 2024, further strengthening regional diplomacy.
Saudi Arabia is India’s fifth largest trading partner, while India ranks as the Kingdom’s second largest. In FY 2023-24, bilateral trade hit $42.98 billion, with Indian exports at $11.56 billion and imports at $31.42 billion. The Kingdom was also India’s third largest supplier of crude oil and LPG, providing 33.35 million metric tonnes of crude and 18.2% of India’s LPG imports during the year.